Halcyon: Part One
by Lolitaxlolita
Summary: Rumbelle AU fic: When Rumpelstiltskin accepted Belle into his life, he never imagined that he would soon accept her into his heart. Rumbelle pre and post curse.


_Halcyon_

Part One:

Lost

**Ellie Goulding "Halcyon"**

It was nearly pitch black in the woods as Belle made her way back to Rumpelstiltskin's castle. Her feet crunched through the snow and fresh flakes began to fall. She had a lantern—for all the good it did her. The trees rose up in front of her like ghosts. Had she seen that one before? Belle was almost certain she was lost.

"Damn that man and his straw," she muttered as she trudged through the snow. If he hadn't insisted she go out and get it right away…well, she wouldn't be in this mess.

A noise, to her left. Belle froze, listening, but the noise did no not repeat itself. Continuing on, she tried to get her bearings.

_I know I'm going the right way, North, _she thought. _But in this darkness and the snow I could walk right past the castle and not notice. _

The haunting, bone-chilling howl of a wolf interrupted her thoughts. The sound was close.

Too close.

Belle whirled around. She could see her breath, pale clouds of mist rising against the darkness. All was silent for several long minutes.

Then—another howl, off to the right. And another to the left. And another—

Belle ran, as fast as she could go through two feet of snow. Bare branches pulled at her cloak like bony fingers, slowing her down. She couldn't hear the howls now, but she knew with the certainty of Prey that they were following her.

If she could just find the castle, everything would be fine. But even as she thought it, her feet stumbled into empty space, and she slid down a short but steep embankment. She gave a sharp gasp as her head hit something hard, but her pain was momentarily forgotten when her lantern crashed into the snow beside her, extinguishing the light and plunging her into inky darkness.

All she could hear was her breathing, loud in her ears. She stood up and realized that her eyes were already adjusting. She felt a sudden surge of hope. _I can probably make it back without the light, _she thought.

But when she turned to look back the way she had come, she froze and the hope died as quickly as it had come, killed by the sight of the wolves. There were four of them, standing at the top of the embankment. They had found their target.

Kneeling, she groped around for something, anything, and snatched up a heavy branch. _If I'm going down, _she thought, _it won't be without a fight. _

Belle knew she didn't stand a chance.

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It was a cold night.

Rumpelstiltskin didn't feel it, of course, but he still knew that it was. And it was getting late. And here he was, walking through the freezing woods late at night, looking for his housekeeper.

"Fool girl," he mumbled. How could she have gotten lost? It's a castle, not a hut. It shouldn't be that hard to find.

Grumbling to himself, Rumpelstiltskin reached a copse of elms where he drew up short at the sight before him.

Four monstrous wolves. A broken lantern. An overturned basket of straw. And a lone woman, brandishing a stick.

He felt a manic giggle bubbling up inside, but it died when he saw the blood coursing down the side of her face.

With a curse, he strode into the middle of the standoff. This had gone quite far enough. The wolves shifted their attention to the newcomer, snarling as they perceived him a threat. _This_ was not prey.

"Not even close," Rumpelstiltskin sneered as he felt the magic rise up and answer his call.

The wolves attacked as one, two at his back while the others lunged for his throat. With the burning pressure that always accompanied it, the magic spread outward in an instant flash of power, sending the animals flying.

They landed, twisting to regain their footing and, with a fleeting glance at their lost meal and a few whining growls, scampered off to lick their wounds.

Belle, faced with the man that had gotten her both in and out of her mess, felt merely exasperated. She said the first thing that came to mind.

"You could have just killed them."

Rumpelstiltskin let out an annoyed huff of breath. "Yes, of course, dearie," he said in that tone of voice that she hated, the one that so clearly stated what he thought of her intelligence.

"Well, why didn't you?" she retorted. Not that she really wanted them dead, but she felt like pestering him.

He gave a short giggle. "Because then I would need to find new guard dogs."

Belle frowned. "Wait, what? You knew those wolves were out here? And you _let_ me go wandering around at night without telling me about them?" as her voice rose, she took a step forward, which she quickly found to be a mistake. The blow to the head must have been more serious than she thought, because she was suddenly intensely dizzy. She started to list to one side, and she would have fallen if not for the strong pair of hands that were immediately _there_, holding her up.

Rumpelstiltskin supported her with one arm while he reached up and brushed her hair aside with the other, gentle fingers revealing the blood-matted wound. She flinched when he touched it, and he pulled his hand back.

"What did you do?" he murmured, as if to himself. Belle told him about falling down the embankment and hitting her head.

Feeling awkward just standing there with his arm wrapped around her waist, Belle straightened up and brushed off her skirt. The simple motion turned her stomach, and she felt a twinge of concern.

"Maybe we should get back to the castle," she said, and started to walk forward. Before she had taken but a few steps, however, her head and legs betrayed her. Her knees buckled and she suddenly found herself off of her feet and in Rumpelstiltskin's arms.

"I quite agree, dearie," he said as he started to walk.

Belle protested, asserting that she was capable of waking on her own, but her words fell on deaf ears. She quieted, listening to the soft sounds of a snow filled forest at night and the rhythm of Rumpelstiltskin's quiet breathing. She was feeling very tired all of a sudden. On a whim, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He stiffened slightly, but said nothing.

"I'm still mad at you," she whispered, before darkness claimed her.

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Belle woke up in bed, alone. There was a fire burning in the hearth, and a tea service by the window, but the room was, otherwise, empty.

She sat up…and groaned. Her head ached and her body was sore—she was sure she had all kinds of fresh bruises from her fall.

Never one for bed rest, Belle threw off the covers and stood. She was a bit unsteady on her feet, but not nearly as dizzy as she had been last night. She noticed absently that she was in her nightgown and fervently hoped Rumpelstiltskin had used magic to change her clothes. Although, somehow she wasn't as concerned about it as she felt she should be. Rumpelstiltskin was the kind of man who took what he wanted, and Belle had certainly read enough books to understand the danger a young woman could get into with a man like that. She had been worried about it briefly that first night in the castle. But as soon as she got to know him a little, she realized she had nothing to fear on that score.

There was a vulnerability to him that spoke of past hurts, and as much as the man may vex her, she knew that he would always respect her space.

Belle went to the door and leaned on the jam for a minute before heading out into the hall. She wasn't quite sure where to go, but she didn't want to be in bed at the moment, so she set off in the direction of the library.

She didn't get far. Halfway there and she was sitting on the floor, with her head back against the cool stone wall and her eyes closed. She had really underestimated the pain in her head, and overestimated her strength. It occurred to her that she must have been injured worse than she thought, and figured she should probably get back to bed.

The only problem was getting there.

Feeling quite sick to her stomach now, Belle struggled to her feet.

"Just what do you think you are doing?"

Turning around, Belle saw Rumpelstiltskin stalking in her direction, no doubt endeavoring to look as stern as he could.

"Taking a walk," she replied. She tried to throw his 'you are an imbecile' voice back at him.

He was nonplussed. "Taking a walk."

In moments he was at her side, helping her make her way back to her room. Only when she was lying in bed did he speak again.

"Forgive me if I am wrong, dearie, although I rarely am, but I don't believe it particularly wise for persons recovering from a concussion to be taking a walk," he said.

"A concussion?"

He shot her a dark look.

"Why can't you just fix it with your magic?" she asked.

"Head wounds are more difficult," he snapped. Softly, in a tone that made Belle think that she was not meant to hear, he added—"and all magic comes with a price."

Belle was silent for a moment. "I wonder how long it will take me to recover," she finally said.

"Oh, a week, give or take. If," he added, "you can refrain from causing any _more_ trouble before then."

Belle frowned. "Why are _you_ so angry? _I'm_ the one who fell because of _your_ wolves."

Rumpelstiltskin did not reply.

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As he had predicted, Belle was better within a week. Life fell back into its regular pattern, with Rumpelstiltskin swinging wildly between periods of almost manic energy and periods of intense, serious concentration on his work. During these times Belle had to force him to come out of his workroom and eat something. She was always curious as to what it was that so completely monopolized his attention.

Sometimes people came to the castle—a youth looking for a love spell, an angry villager out for revenge on his neighbor, or a hunter or tradesman in search of a fail-proof bow, axe, or sword. Rumpelstiltskin dealt with them all easily. And Belle knew the secrets to the magic—she alone was privy to the things that Rumpelstiltskin never bothered to tell his customers.

The love spell?

"_Lust_ spell, is more like it," Rumpelstiltskin informed her. It would, apparently, wear off with time.

"Love," he told her, "cannot be bottled and sold. It's either there, or it's not."

Revenge?

"Very few are prepared to pay the heavy price of revenge," was all he would say on the matter.

And the weapons and tools? Rumpelstiltskin always laughed at them when they left.

"Fools. _Nothing_ is fail-proof."

Belle became so used to people coming and going that she didn't bat an eye when she opened the door one day to a bedraggled farmer.

"I'm sorry," she said, and she meant it—it looked like the man had come a long way. "Rumpelstiltskin isn't here right now." He had gone off early that morning with no explanation, as he sometimes did. _Strange, _she thought. _He usually sets wards around the castle when he isn't here so people can't approach. _Inwardly she shrugged, thinking that perhaps he just forgotten.

"All the better," the man said, and before Belle had the chance to stop him he pushed past her and into the foyer.

"Hey!" Belle followed him as he charged past the dining room in the direction of the workroom. She caught up to him just in time and quickly ducked between him and the door.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, "But you'll have to leave." As she spoke, she noticed how pale and drawn he looked. His eyes were smudged with dark circles, and Belle didn't like the look in them. It was desperate. Or perhaps…manic.

"Get out of the way, girl," he muttered.

"I can't do that. Perhaps if you come tomorrow—"

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" he shouted. "I'm here to take back what's mine!"

With that, he reached out to shove her out of the way. But Belle was having none of that. _No_ man pushed her around and got away with it. She shoved back and kicked, catching him in the shin. He grunted and, encouraged, she shoved harder. He stumbled back and his eyes met hers with a glare.

"Get back," she said.

"Or what?" he snarled, starting to advance on her.

"Or…" what? She had nothing to back herself up. Except… "or I'll call Rumpelstiltskin!"

That made him pause, fear flashing briefly through his eyes before being replaced with suspicion. "Can you?" he wondered.

Belle drew herself up, trying to look confident and important, even though she just felt scared. "Of course. You don't think he would leave his castle unprotected, do you? In fact," she smiled, trying to exude Rumpelstiltskin's special brand of malice, "he's probably on his way right now."

"Actually he's right behind you, dearie."

The man gasped and whirled around. Belle breathed a sigh of relief. She had been making the whole thing up, of course, but she was glad that Rumpelstiltskin had made it home before the farmer found out her bluff. Now that he was here the man would leave.

But that wasn't what happened. Instead of being frightened off, the man seemed to figure that he had nothing else to lose. He let out a half-crazed cry of desperation, and before Belle could react he had reached out and grabbed her, holding her close to him with a knife pressed up against her throat.

There was a beat of tense silence. Rumpelstiltskin met Belle's eyes. Strangely, she was less scared now than she had been before. She knew he would fix things, and in that moment that their eyes met, she believed that he knew her thoughts. She realized that her life was in his hands and in this moment or the next, she could die. _I have faith in you,_ she thought. And it felt like…he knew.

He visibly relaxed, leaning against the table nonchalantly. "What a tired cliché," he said, boredom lacing his voice.

The knife pressed harder. "You know what I'm here for," the man said, his voice low and dangerous. "Just give me the necklace and I'll let her go."

"You paid the price, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said. Belle noticed the slight undercurrent of warning in his voice. She wondered if the farmer did. "Just because things didn't turn out the way you wanted is no reason to blame me."

"I wanted to be wealthy! Important!" the man shouted. "I gave you my dead wife's necklace! And what did I get?"

"Let me guess: everything was splendid for a while before it all fell apart," Rumpelstiltskin replied sarcastically.

Belle could literally feel the man shaking in anger. "Exactly," he whispered. "They made me the chief of the village council. But then…" he started to shake harder, and though she couldn't see his face Belle knew he was crying. "The other men who wanted the position thought I had cheated!"

"Well, you did cheat," Rumpelstiltskin interrupted.

"Shut up!" he pressed the knife harder and Belle felt a warm rivulet of blood running down her neck. _Quit it with the quips! _she thought at Rumpelstiltskin. His eyes flared marginally at the sight of her blood before returning to their bored, hooded position.

"They made me out to be a villain! They drove me out of town! But not before they set my house ablaze."

"Houses can be rebuilt, dearie."

"Can you rebuild my daughter?!" the man screamed. Belle cried out as the blade bit in deeper. "She lost her arm in the fire!"

As soon as the words left his lips, Rumpelstiltskin disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Belle felt the man tense, and then relax the arm he had around her. Freed, she spun around and backed away from him.

She saw now that Rumpelstiltskin had materialized behind the man and rendered him unconscious. The farmer was slumped on the ground, Rumpelstiltskin standing over his body. He looked furious. Capable of anything.

Belle walked over and lay a hand on Rumpelstiltskin's arm. He looked up, his eyes still full of rage. They softened a little when he saw her, however. He reached over, brushing his fingers lightly against her neck. She shivered, probably from the odd sensation of her skin knitting itself together via magic.

Rumpelstiltskin looked back down at the unconscious farmer. "Now, what to do with this one…" he wondered aloud.

"Maybe we could just give him the necklace and let him go?" Belle suggested.

Rumpelstiltskin looked at her like she was crazy. "He tried to kill you. And you want to just set him free?"

Belle shrugged. "Maybe he's suffered enough."

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes went hard. "He made the deal. I didn't force him."

Belle patted his arm. "I know, I know," she said. "But he's…" she gestured at him, slumped on the ground. "Ruined. Its…" she searched for the words, unsure how to put it. "What else can you do to him that his greed hasn't already done? Sometimes…" Belle trailed off, and Rumpelstiltskin glanced at her curiously. She ducked her head.

"Sometimes people think they want something…more than anything…and they just have no way to predict how things will turn out. It's not…anyone's fault. Things just happen." She hoped he didn't guess that she was speaking from personal experience.

Rumpelstiltskin stood still for about a minute, staring down at the man. Then he turned on his heel and stalked into the workroom. He returned a moment later with something in his hand. Kneeling, he stuffed it into the man's pocket.

"Here's your damned necklace," he murmured. He waved a hand and the man disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

"What?" he barked when he glanced over to see Belle staring at him.

"Thank you," she said.

He hesitated for just a moment before he scoffed, and headed into his workroom. "I didn't do it for _you_. I just wanted him out of my hair," he grumbled before shutting the door.

Belle smiled. _There's more to him than meets the eye, _she thought, not for the first time.

**Author's Note:  
**

**Thanks for reading everyone! This is just a little fic I'm working on in my spare time (which is virtually nonexistent). I'm having a lot of fun with this one, though! If you could spread the word about it, that would be great. I'm hoping to get up to 50 reviews (a bit of a stretch, but let's aim high, ok?)**

**I'm totally open to suggestions on this fic, I have a little bit of a plan for them but it isn't set in stone. If you have an idea, don't be shy! (I just might use it, and I'll credit you). **

**Anyways, keep your eyes peeled, more is on the way!**

**Let me know what you think, review please! **

**By the way, if you leave your email form me in the review, I'll definitely respond. **


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